Development of application scenarios for smart mobile walker by in-depth focus group interviews and clinical expert meetings

Various robotic systems have been proposed for providing assistance in activities of daily living and support therapy. Our consortium simultaneously had developed an assistive robotic module, called a smart mobile walker, and its application scenarios on the basis of inputs obtained from candidate users and clinical experts during the entire robot development process. This paper presents the development of scenarios for examining the applicability of the robotic module in providing support for activities of daily living. Scenario construction is an essential process for embodying the target population, purpose, and performance of an assistive robotic system in its development process. To this end, in this study, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the feedback received during interviews of a focus group and clinical experts and consulted the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Finally, we developed eight scenarios for the smart mobile walker that were targeted at elderly people and stroke survivors.